Alexandra Hunt is a public health researcher, a political organizer and an advocate for economic, social, racial, and environmental change. 

It was only fitting that she announced her run for City Controller at a recovery organization. 

Hunt announced her run Philadelphia City Controller this past Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the Unity Recovery, a recovery community organization located on Main Street in Manayunk. Hunt is back on the political scene, now vying for the independently-elected spot who audits city spending. 

“Tonight, we launched our campaign for Philadelphia City Controller joined by neighbors & Philly community leaders. I’m grateful to be surrounded by such hard-working, kind, & determined people. I’m running for City Controller because our dollars have to count,” Hunt tweeted. 

She first garnered attention after raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in her unsuccessful challenge to U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in 2022. 

Hunt initially showed interest in the role, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer this past December and crediting former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart for sparking interest. 

As City Controller, the office offers independent financial oversight for city government and investigates waste, fraud, and abuse. Hunt wants to bring transparency to an office so taxpayers know what their money is going towards. 

“I’m sick of watching budget line items turn into lines for food and healthcare. I’m sick of telling people who need help now that they have to wait because the system is so inefficient,” Hunt tweeted. “I’m sick of watching families fight for their community for generations just to be priced out.”

As an under-30-year-old vying for a public office, she represents a new kind of candidate, looking to fight for issues that align with her age demographic.  

“I’m sick of people telling people like me we aren’t qualified to run for office because we break the mold. I’m sick of our schools struggling. I’m sick of our environment being at risk. I’m sick of our society making people sick. I want to change things. For you. With you,” she said. 

Hunt is originally from the inner city of Rochester, New York, though attended a suburban school where both her parents were teachers. Even in those early years, she began to notice the inequity in available resources such as education, housing, and job opportunities between the suburbs and the city. 

Unfortunately, crime in her neighborhood and an incident in her front yard forced the family to move from the city to the suburbs.

Along with her campaign, she is still fighting for local issues from addressing the root causes of violent crime, to justice reform, to equity in public school education, and many more issues plaguing Philly. 

She attended college at the University of Richmond and graduated with a degree in Psychology and even then was still dedicated to securing accessible and quality healthcare that has taken her to Ecuador and Ghana to provide global health aid as a result. 

Hunt moved to Philadelphia and attended Drexel University, receiving a master’s degree. During that time, she became invested in the daily challenges of the community. This pushed Hunt to volunteer as an emergency medical technician, and she worked in various medical clinics. 

She graduated from Temple University with a Master of Public Health degree in 2020, just as COVID-19 was taking its toll on the globe. 

During that time of medical and economic crisis, Hunt volunteered to work on the frontline at testing sites, worked with grassroots organizations to provide groceries to those in need, as well as advocated for housing access, rent freezes, universal healthcare, and criminal justice reform.

Hunt in a young life has garnered several different titles, achieved great feats in politics and education, and is looking to add City Controller to the resume. 

“I’m a public health researcher with two master’s degrees. I’m a soccer coach. An award-winning poet. I hope you’ll trust me to be your controller, too,” Hunt said.